Boris Berezovsky death: Troubled tycoon's friends say he would never have killed himself

Police are probing claims that troubled oligarch Boris Berezovsky was murdered at his mansion

The exiled Russian tycoon found dead in his bathroom would never have committed suicide, his friends insisted yesterday.

Police are probing claims that troubled oligarch Boris Berezovsky was murdered at his mansion.

The 67-year-old businessman was a prime target for a contract killing because he was due to be a key witness at the inquest next month of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko who was murdered in 2006.

Mr Berezovsky, who was a fierce critic of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, had been on Moscow’s most-wanted list since 2001.

A friend said the tycoon feared for his safety because the Kremlin “aimed to destroy him”.

A source said several exiled Russian billionaires who have also criticised the Kremlin have now fled their homes in Britain over fears of assassination.

Mr Berezovsky’s body was found on the bathroom floor after his bodyguard called emergency services to the home in Ascot, Berks, on Saturday afternoon.

Historian Dr Yuri Felshtinsky said he did not believe his close friend Mr Berezovsky would kill himself.

Dr Felshtinsky added that the oligarch talked openly about his financial difficulties but despite the problems had been “looking ahead” to testifying at the Litvinenko inquest in London.

“When we recently spoke for the last time, Boris was looking to the future and did not seem to be suicidal,” said Dr Felshtinsky.

“We spoke about his daughter. Boris feared for his safety and understood that the Kremlin aimed to destroy him as an example for anyone else who opposed Putin. Boris understood the Kremlin mindset better than anyone. He had personal security but it was not of the kind he’d had when he lived in Russia.”

Dr Felshtinsky, a Russian who lives in the US, added: “Putin was dealing with Boris in the way he deals with all his enemies. Boris was a fighter and suicide was not in his DNA.”

PA

Probe: Police outside his mansion

Police initially thought that Mr Berezovsky may have been poisoned by a radioactive substance like Litvinenko was.

But yesterday afternoon residents were given the all-clear as police confirmed they had not found any nuclear contamination.

Last night it was understood that no evidence had been discovered to suggest a third party was involved in Mr Berezovsky’s mysterious death.

It had also emerged that the bathroom door was locked from the inside.

However, Thames Valley police, who spent last night conducting a fingertip search of the oligarch’s home, are still treating the death as unexplained.

A potential line of inquiry is that the death is linked to attacks on other high-profile Russians in Britain.

A source said: “Billionaire Russians who have spoken out against the Kremlin are extremely worried.

“Living in Britain does not seem to offer any protection, and many feel they might have to go elsewhere after this death. Some private jets have already been used to take these people out of the country.”

Rex

Exile: Berezovsky at his Ascot home in 2002

Dad-of-six Mr Berezovsky had gone from maths professor to multi-billionaire by the 1990s and became a Kremlin insider in Boris Yeltsin’s reign.

The tycoon survived several assassination attempts – including a bomb that decapitated his chauffeur in 1994 – before leaving Russia for London in 2000.

Despite assisting Mr Putin’s rise to power, the pair fell out and became foes.

Former spy Litvinenko – who had been close friends with Mr Berezovsky – fled Russia in 2000 after revealing his bosses wanted the entrepreneur killed.

Yesterday President Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that Mr Berezovsky had been an enemy.

“We know for certain that he spared no expense in support of processes, within Russia and beyond, that could be said to have been directed against Russia and Putin,” the spokesman said.

“He definitely was Putin’s opponent, and unfortunately not only his political opponent, but most likely in other dimensions as well.”

Last night Mr Berezovsky’s spokesman Lord Bell said the oligarch was depressed for months.

Lord Bell said: “One of the reasons was his financial troubles. He was also worried about harassment by Russia and felt weighed down by the enormous amount of legal stuff.”

On the eve of his death, Mr Berezovsky gave an interview to Forbes Russia magazine in which he said he had “lost meaning” from his life.

Lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky said his friend Mr Berezovsky had been “in a dreadful state; almost broke”.

Last year the tycoon lost a court battle with Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich, which cost him £130million.

He had accused Mr Abramovich of blackmail and breach of contract.

And in January it was disclosed Mr Berezovsky’s ex, Elena Gorbunova, 43, had won a £200million freezing order on his assets.